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Basil Brush is being investigated after a complaint was made about an alleged racist joke in the puppet's BBC series.
A complaint was received by the police following a recent screening of an old episode that features the fox telling jokes about gypsies, reports Metro.
The episode, which was originally shown six years ago, features a sketch where a gypsy woman tries to sell Basil some wooden pegs.
A police spokesperson said: "We can confirm we have received a complaint about a TV show featuring Basil Brush from a member of the public in February. The complaint was logged as an incident of a racist nature."
Joseph Jones, a spokesperson for the Romany, Gipsy and Irish Traveller Network, said: "Racist abuse of black people is quite rightly no longer deemed acceptable, but when a comedian makes a joke on TV about pikeys or gypos, there's no comeback."
Did you see the offending episode? Do you think Basil should be banished from our screens?
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User comments
Why can't people just respect other peoples ways of life? How would you feel if you were discriminated against in this way? People just need to some empathy.
Posted by: jazzheard on Mon Mar 17 08:54PM | Report abuseso is the government going to use this as an excuse to waste billions of the tax payers money to build toy town prision lol.
Posted by: garethbethall on Mon Mar 17 08:54PM | Report abuseThis is what you get when you let do gooders get away with this sort of &$£%. Remember gollywogs and blackboards? all gone, if these people don't like it leave my country and go and live somewhere really free, how about Iraq . And stop stealing my heratage and way of life.
Posted by: rowdy007 on Mon Mar 17 09:04PM | Report abuseleave basil alone, hes the best on cbbc. this traveller must not like basil when he has to complain. as jesus said let him without sin cast the first stone. how many sins has the complainer? I've always love basil. take basil off and our tv licence goes to the bin. O.K.
Posted by: daniellemcm on Mon Mar 17 09:14PM | Report abuseleave basil alone, hes the best on cbbc. this traveller must not like basil when he has to complain. as jesus said let him without sin cast the first stone. how many sins has the complainer? I've always love basil. take basil off and our tv licence goes to the bin. O.K.
Posted by: daniellemcm on Mon Mar 17 09:14PM | Report abuseappears to be the sort of re - action a weak minded religious fundamenatist would start to create trouble Are we going to have screams for basil to be beheaded and the pupet master to be flogged??
Posted by: steve.follett on Mon Mar 17 09:17PM | Report abuselol oh i think that basil brush is a bit of a black sheep,no sorry i should not have said that i mean a ethnically different sheep
Posted by: andyturley on Mon Mar 17 09:28PM | Report abuseDoes Mohammed the teddy bear ring any bells ? Come on, it's a puppet !!!
Posted by: jn.duncan on Mon Mar 17 09:35PM | Report abuserW
Posted by: jn.duncan on Mon Mar 17 09:35PM | Report abuseIf this is scene, done in the name of humour, based on the traditional romany way of life, knocking on doors selling heather and pegs is racist, then Basil should be put on an equality and diversity course to show him the error of his ways!! oh sorry HE IS A PUPPET! He will have to stop saying 'BUM BUM' at the end of every punch line in case he offends a member of the Gay community next!
Posted by: paul.jostarling on Mon Mar 17 09:36PM | Report abuse